Shaken and Stirred
by imsuchanut
Summary: She's a clever shop girl from the Estates, but with no future. He's a broken spy on a mission. When they collide, what could go wrong? But somehow, things never seemed so right. Eleven/Rose AU.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey, guys! So, this is something a bit different from what I normally do. First off, this is Eleven/Rose, not Ten/Rose, even though I love the ships equally, I feel I needed to work more with Eleven. There's not enough for the Eleven/Rose ship!**

**Anywho, this is completely AU. Yes, this prologue keeps a lot of the same elements, but it's not the same. The Doctor is NOT a Time Lord. I've been really into Eleven/Rose fics lately, especially the AU ones (cough, soaring-smiles, cough). **

**That being said, I do have a plot line for this (I'm as surprised as you), but I don't know if I want to continue. Lemme know what you lot think! Either way, this part will be listed as a prologue.**

_PROLOGUE_

Rose Tyler was a normal, boring twenty-year old. She was a pretty blonde with a stubborn attitude, but she was not one to stand out in a crowd. She lived with only her mum as her dad had died in a car accident when she was just a baby. As a result, much of her childhood was spent in near poverty. Fresh from the estates, the girl worked at Henriks as she had been for the past three years, after dropping out of school. Big mistake, by the way, because now she was forced to work retail for the unforeseeable future. Rose worked as a sale's assistant, and although her best mate Shireen worked with her, the job was uneventful; bar the few customers whose angry rants provided small entertainment.

Every day was practically the same routine; wake up, go to work, come home, eat chips, and go to sleep again. Occasionally life was spiced up by bank holidays, work visits from Mickey, or when her friends dragged her to a night out. But Rose had learnt her lesson from her wild days as an early teen; she ended up in debt and brokenhearted. However, Rose harbored a secret. She would stay up with a flashlight under the covers reading Harry Potter. She loved the tales of a world unknown and full of adventure, but she had to hide her habit; Lord knows her Mum and Shireen would never let her hear the end of it if they knew. But Rose got an immense amount of joy out of the novels and got lost in the fantastic universe so unlike her own. She dreamed of adventures like the ones in the book, but when she woke up she was just disappointed, having been faced once again with reality. Rose had accepted her mundane life for all it was. She was going to keep working at Henriks, marry Mickey, have a few kids, and watch them grow up in the estates.

That's all life contained for her, and that's all it ever would.

Her world was about to get shaken up.

John Smith was a genius. Absolutely bloody brilliant; he could easily outshine anyone in the room. Rather reminiscent of Tony Stark; he was personable, good looking, rich, and outspoken. Plus, he was into cars; he had a blue Ferrari he called "Sexy". Unlike him, however, John was not an alcoholic nymphomaniac with a death wish. Well, maybe. He wasn't exactly careful with his own safety. Despite his charms, John was not close with very many people and didn't form real relationships. His family had all died in a house fire, and his best friend had gone mad, leaving him reluctant to let many people into his life.

He didn't want very many people to know him personally, which worked out well for his career. John was rather successful in M16. In his earlier years, John strove to be the best in his field against the wishes of his family, who wanted him to get a risk-free, boring job. But John loved the adventure, and often went against orders and got himself captured, because he couldn't stop helping people (or shut his mouth). His "savior" instinct combined with his outstanding intellect gave him a rather impressive reputation in M16. He was even nicknamed "The Doctor" because of his ability to fix any situation. But after the deaths of his family, he became darker, less open, and sometimes reveled in the destruction of his targets. John became more secluded, and went by "The Doctor" regularly, hiding away from everyone who he really was.

John lived in secrets, and wasn't planning on life being anything different.

His walls were about to be torn down.

_Rose POV_

It was a dreary Tuesday morning, and Rose was very, very bored. Business at Henriks was slow, Mickey was sick so he couldn't visit her, and "Girls' Night" wasn't until Friday. Instead of fixing the bowtie display, Rose was leaning up against it and staring at the hands of the clock, hoping that time would pass faster if she continued this. It didn't work the way she intended.

A tall, handsome man, with dark floppy hair and green eyes came in. He smiled at Rose, grabbed a few bowties from the display without really looking, and then walked away in the direction of the changing rooms without a word. To try on bowties. Rose stood there, staring at his back, completely befuddled as to what just happened.

She noticed he had a really nice backside, though.

_Doctor POV_

The Doctor was a man on a mission. Literally. He had been instructed to apprehend the head of a criminal group known as the Nestene, who, according to intel, was going to show up for an exchange at Henriks today. He walked in, and very conveniently, saw the bowtie display. He rather liked them, bowties were cool, after all. Screw the people at the office; he looked good in bowties and he would continue to wear them.

Unfortunately, there was an employee at the stand. She was young, very pretty, and blonde—basically, someone who would want nothing with a geek like the Doctor. _Good thing too,_ he though, _I wouldn't want anyone holding me down_. The Doctor needed an excuse to wander around, and "looking for the changing room" was the perfect one. So, he grabbed a bowtie, and went off in the area the sign directed.

As soon as he was out of the line of sight of the shopping assistants, the Doctor shoved the bowties behind a mannequin. He then looked around inconspicuously, and made his way to the door marked "Employee Access Only". Using a new tool he invented that relied on sonic waves to disrupt electron patterns, he broke the electronic lock and slipped in. From there, he made his way to the security room, sedated the guard, and watched the security cameras. _Well, that was easy. All I have to do now is wait until 'The Consciousness' gets here, and take him out._

It was about to get a bit harder than that.

_Rose POV_

Rose pondered about the strange man, before she went back to staring at the clock; grateful it was only half an hour 'til her break. The day dragged on, and she was about to go home before Shireen ran up to her, holding a manila envelope.

"Rose, almost forgot to give this to you!" she was slightly out of breath, a fact which reminded Rose that she needed to start running; her chip habit wasn't healthy.

"Er, what is it?" Shireen gave Rose the 'you just dribbled on your shirt look'.

"The lotto money? It's your day to bring it down to Wilson." And with that, Rose trudged downstairs to find Wilson.

She had only been in the basement a few times, so she didn't know her way around very well. Rose decided to walk around calling for Wilson every few moments, hoping he would hear her. She reached a hallway filled with old mannequins and used the same method, but she noticed something odd out of the corner of her eye as turned around. A mannequin moved.

Rose walked closer, to reaffirm that it was only a mannequin. But as she approached, she saw that it was something entirely different. Instead, the mannequins appeared to be men wearing plastic masks, and they had guns in their holsters. She backed away slowly, but broke into a sprint as they advanced towards her. She ran around the basement, taking twists and turns until she ended up in an old storage room.

Rose backed into the corner and hid, using the time to catch her breath. She pulled out her phone to call the police, but she found she had no service. _Fuck_, she thought, _this is straight out of a horror movie. And we all know the blonde dies first._ Suddenly, the 'Plastic Men' threw open the doors and entered the room. Rose backed further into the corner, praying to every deity that they would just walk away. Her prayers were answered as a figure popped in her vision. The strange (_cute,_ her brain supplied) man from the bowtie display earlier faced her and grabbed her hand. She ignored the tingles that spread up her arm, and he said only one word. "Run!"

She never did deliver that money.

_Doctor POV_

The mission was not going as planned. The Doctor watched the security cameras for hours, but saw no sign of the Consciousness or any Nestene members. He was beginning to get a hunch that something very bad was about to happen. He noticed the store was closing up through the cameras, and decided to investigate the basement around him.

The Doctor heard the sound of someone running, and silently followed them; hoping it would give him a lead. He ended up in an old storage room, where he saw the girl from the bowtie display backed into a corner. _Maybe she's a Nestene_, he thought, but quickly brushed away the thought. _She couldn't be, there's no way_. If he wasn't in the middle of something, he would've wondered why he was feeling so attached to some random girl suddenly. But as it happened, he _was _in the middle of something, and didn't have the time.

The Doctor noticed movement near the doors, and slipped into the shadows, making his way to the blonde. He saw the figures, and identified them immediately as Nestene members: they wore plastic masks on their faces, and appeared almost mannequin like. Classic Nestene identifiers. _Of course, they wouldn't be up in the store; they would be waiting down here. How could I be so stupid? _The Doctor saw them advance towards the blonde, and so he hurried towards her. He grabbed her hand, ignoring the tingles that spread up his arm, and said only one word. "Run!"

Pity he never got those bowties.

**A/N: Welcome to the bottom! If you're still reading this, thanks! You are awesome, and if you decide to be even more awesome and review, you get imaginary bacon. Tempted? I think so.**

**If you didn't read the top Author's Note, please know that I'm a little iffy on this, so feel free to comment on whether you think this could stand alone, or if I should continue.**

**Thanks!**


	2. Identity Crisis

**A/N: Bonjour! Et bienvenue a "Shaken and Stirred"! Je m'appelle Em, et je suis desole pour mes actions.**

**If only I could figure out where the accents were on my computer. For some reason, Word was acting up and didn't want to tell me.**

**So, I had a plan for this originally. Ish. It was more of a bunch of ideas I thought I would do. Then, I started to write and I realized I couldn't. I couldn't find the muse, I couldn't get it together, and I didn't know what I was doing. So, I let the first sentence of this sit on my computer for a while. Then, a review from someone made me realize that I was being one of those people I hate: I made people wait for stuff.**

**So, I had a long think in the shower and got my act together. And the next chapter for this is already halfway done! I'm so proud.**

**You probably stopped reading this a long time ago, if you read it at all. Sorry.**

**Without further ado, here's the next piece! Please lemme know what you think!**

They ran and ran until they made it safely out of the store. A couple blocks away, they could both be found hunched over, gasping for breath.

"Well," Rose said, "that's about the most fun I've had all year!"

The Doctor started to laugh, but caught himself. Yes, the running has been fun, and he had forgotten the thrill of the adrenaline, but he could not lead this girl on. Attractive as she was, and as much as he felt drawn to her (_stop it, you're being ridiculous_), this was the end of the road. There would be no flirting, no talking, he would leave and get on with his life. He looks up, and loses his focus. "Yeah, that was fun. We should do it again!" _Stupid, stupid mouth. Why must you talk?_

She fixes him with a look. "What, almost get killed and run for our lives?" Oh. Right. This was dangerous.

_Come on, Doctor, focus._ "I was just kidding. But yes, we almost just got killed, so let's just go to bed." Rose quirked an eyebrow. "Separately! I mean, I go home, to my flat, and you go to yours and we pretend this never happened!" He saw the hurt look on her face, but didn't care. This next part was about to get bad, and he didn't want her around for that. _Or at all! Remember, you aren't getting involved. Not with her, not with anyone._

Still, he couldn't help but stare at her as she walked away.

* * *

Rose didn't quite know what to think. Her life was boring, uneventful, and ordinary. But suddenly this weird (_cute_, her head supplies) man in a bowtie (_he actually made it kind of cool_) comes in and rescues her. Not only that, but from some weird group of criminals in plastic masks.

And suddenly she finds herself running, and then that leaves her running on adrenaline. Whilst they were escaping the building, Rose stole a glance at him. He was smiling, even though she could see faint worry lines etched on his face. _And_, he was still holding her hand despite the fact that she knew the way out of the building much better than him. She _had_ worked there the past few years. She noticed him turn his head towards her, and afraid of being caught looking, she faced ahead.

The made it out, which left her where she was now. She was grateful, to the universe, to this man, for making something exciting happen for once. _Mum would kill me if she knew I thought running for my life was exciting. _Rose was also a bit scared, and angry. Quite angry. How could he just dismiss that, dismiss her? She didn't even know his name!

Rose turned around to ask that, but he was gone. _Well, I'm glad mum isn't here. She would just go off about him being a typical bloke._ Rose was turning back around when she saw it out of the corner of her eye.

Henriks exploded.

* * *

The Doctor made sure Rose was leaving before sprinting back off towards the store. If the Consciousness could not be apprehended, he was instructed to end him at all costs. The information exchange was too important to be allowed to continue. If it did, the Doctor had to shut it down. The lives of millions were in danger, and there was no one else to stop it.

Well, there was the rest of M16, but they were incompetent. They thought he was reckless and weird, but knew he was the best. And if they tried to get involved when he was still on the mission, they knew it wouldn't go well. The Doctor didn't work well with other people.

_Maybe that's why I'm always alone._

Making sure to avoid the cameras, the Doctor snuck back into Henriks. He saw a Nestene approaching and lurked in the shadows.

"Yeah, we got the stuff…no, it's all right here. Well, I don't have it, he does. Yes, we made copies. All of us have parts, the Consciousness has it all. We'll meet with you tomorrow, then."

The Doctor had his mind set to take them down when he noticed a faint glowing next to him. He bent down, then took several steps back. _Well, I wasn't expecting this._

There was a bomb, set to go off in five minutes.

There was always the possibility that he could rewire the bomb, but then the Nestene would get away. The Nestene weren't near packed up, so they couldn't know about this, right? _Yes, of course. They're still here. Stop being stupid and focus._ If he didn't stop the bomb, the whole building would get blown up, and there was a chance that the public would know about the Nestene, and the information the government let slip.

The Doctor took a deep breath and chose the lesser of two evils.

He left the building, and from a street away, watched it blow up. Part of him wanted to feel bad, wanted to show some remorse for the lives he had just taken, for those who would be stuck picking up the pieces of that exploded building. But he just couldn't, his humanity had been all thrown away.

_Is it though, Doctor? You're not the monster you think you are_, spoke a feminine voice in the back of his head. _Great, you're in my head, too? Just…just leave me alone!_

_God, I'm arguing with an imaginary voice. _But even in his head, he did quite like her saying his name.

* * *

Rose Tyler woke up early the next morning to the buzzing of the alarm clock. She groaned and put the pillow over her head. Jackie entered the room, which only served to make Rose clasp the pillow tighter.

"Oi! I'm talking to you, take that bloody pillow off your head right now!" Rose did as she asked, it was too early to argue with her mum. "I told you to turn that bloody thing off ages ago! I was trying to have a lie-in, for once."

"Sorry mum," her voice was groggy and Rose felt extra tired for some reason. "But how else am I gonna wake up for work?"

Jackie gave her a look. "Have you gone mad? Your work's been blown up, hasn't it?" The events of last night suddenly rushed back to her.

The rest of the morning was spent in questioning by Jackie as Rose got ready. Jackie nattered on while Rose was in the shower, getting dressed, and by the time Rose was making breakfast she felt ready to explode. "But who was he, Rose? Surely he must have said something!"

"Mum, I told you-" she was cut off by a knocking at the door. Rose, grateful for the escape from her mum's interrogation, went to open it.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor! Nice to-_oh_." _Well, that answers Mum's question._ Rose dragged him into the house by his bowtie.

"What the hell happened last night? Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

He rolled his eyes.

_Seriously? He just waltzes in and gives me sass when I have questions? _

"Last night a group of criminals was at Henrik's. They're gone now. Well, mostly. Anyways, they put a tracer on someone who was there, and they're going to make a hit. You know, get rid of any evidence just in case. Which is you!"

"What, me? I don't know nothing now, do I?"

"Yeah, but that's not the point. They still put a tracer somehow, and I'm going to stop it before you're, you know…"

"No, I don't know!"

He gave her a solemn look. "Dead." And suddenly, he did a total 180. "Right then, where's that tracer? Come on, things to do!" When Rose just stared blankly at him, he pulled a strange device out of his coat pocket. It was bulky and looked as if it had been compiled from pieces of junk. The man (_Doctor, he called himself the Doctor_) pressed a few buttons, and then suddenly a beeping noise could be heard from her room. "Right this way then!"

He went into her room, the beeping steadily becoming louder. The Doctor then grabbed her purse and shook out the contents. "You can't just do that! That's my stuff!" He frowned and turned the bag around. Sure enough, there was a small, black circle stuck onto it. The Doctor picked it up and started poking at it with some glowing stick. "How the hell did that even get there? And how are you gonna stop it?" The last question was answered as the stick gave a whirring noise, and cracks appeared in the tracer. The Doctor kept prodding it until it completely fell apart. "That was…strange. Cool, but strange. How did you do it?"

The man stood up, adjusted the bow tie, and gave her a cheeky grin. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Rose took a step closer to him. "Yes actually, I would."

The Doctor matched her, taking a step closer so that they were almost touching. "But if I told you that, I'd be telling you all my little tricks."

"Oh, I'm sure you got more hidden up your sleeve." _Oh god, am I flirting with him? But I can't, and he just showed up, and I don't even know who he is-_

"I think maybe you should find them out." _Nope, don't mind the flirting._

"Maybe I will."

* * *

The Doctor opened his mouth to say something, but his eyes fell on a picture on the wall. It showed Rose and another man kissing in front of some bar. _Of course she has a boyfriend. She wouldn't actually be interested in me._

_Besides, I'm much better off on my own! I didn't want anything to do with her, anyways._

"Well, I've got to be off now. Nice to meet you, Rose Tyler!" _That's right, play it off._

Unfortunately, Rose followed him the whole way out.

"What did you say your name was?

"I told you; the Doctor."

"Yeah, but, Doctor what?"

"Just the Doctor."

"The doctor?"

"Hello!"

"Is that meant to be impressive?"

"Sort of, yeah."

"But Doctor, who are you?"

_I need her to stay away. I don't want her, I don't need her. Come on, let's be realistic. But is it so wrong that I want to make an impression?_

He took her hand.

"You know when you're little, and you don't have a care in the world? You think mummy and daddy will always be there to protect you, even if you believe you don't need them. You don't think anyone can hurt you, and you believe everything is in black and white."

He took a deep breath.

"But there's so much more to it than that. There are people whose job is to protect others. To make sure everything is safe for those children at night, people who know it isn't black and white but try and make everything simpler at the same time. Everything just rushes by so fast, and I have to make sure that for everyone else, it just goes by normally. I make them safe, I do what I have to so that the Earth keeps revolving for some people.

I'm dangerous, because of that. Now go home, Rose Tyler, and forget me."

He sprinted away before she could catch up and follow him.

_Did you really have to do the whole big-and-impressive act? Stop showing off for this girl. She's gone, she's done with, let it go._

The Doctor slipped into the shadows and walked away. He had work to do.

* * *

Rose Tyler groaned. Just when life was getting a bit interesting, he goes and disappears again! _I can hear mum already, talking about how he's not worth it._

_But really, what do I have to lose. I've got no A-levels, no opportunities. I can at least figure out what this is all about. If this is my story, it's going to be good._

So, Rose did the only thing she could think of.

"Mickey, can I come in? I need to use your computer."

Hours later, she had a solid lead. So the next day, Rose dragged Mickey to the house of a man named Clive.

"Rose, I really wish you wouldn't do this."

"Come on, Mickey. The man might actually know something about the Doctor!"

"The Doctor's just some weirdo who showed up at the wrong time, he's not important!" The tension in the air could be cut with a knife.

"Fine then. If you feel that way, then just stay in the car."

_Bloody lazy, obnoxious idiot._

While Rose was talking to Clive, who she had deemed a nutter, Mickey was making friends.

He was sitting in the car, waiting for Rose, when he heard a knock on the window. Mickey looked up to a gun being pointed at his head by a large man in a suit and a mask. "Come with us if you want to live." Shakily, Mickey opened the door and followed the man into a black car waiting nearby.

"Get in."

Once again, Mickey obeyed. He was met in the car by more masked men. One of them, the leader he guessed, spoke. "We don't care who you are; you're unimportant. But obviously, you want to live. So do exactly as we say and you will. Alright?"

Mickey nodded.

"Good." The man who led Mickey here grabbed his arm and held it out. The leader snapped a thick bracelet onto it and then pulled Mickey's sweatshirt over it. He then pulled out a small black device and stuck it in Mickey's ear. "You will do this: take the girl somewhere, make her relaxed." A man shoved some bills into Mickey's pocket. "Once there, you will say to her exactly what we tell you. Try anything funny, and we'll kill you." He added, nodding towards the bracelet. "Are we clear?"

Mickey nodded frantically, and hoped Rose could forgive him for this.

The man led him back out to the car. Minutes later, Rose stormed back in. "You were right, Micks. He was crazy. Not the Doctor, well maybe, but I meant Clive. Absolutely nuts, started going on about conspiracies and death and all that." Rose gave him a look. "You alright? You're being awfully silent."

Mickey gave a shaky laugh. "I'm fine, Rose. How about lunch?"

"Yeah, I could do with some chips, I'm starved."

But the whole way there, Rose's thoughts were on the Doctor.

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading, and pretty pretty please review!**

**Come on.**

**Review and the magical bacon fairy will pay you a visit.**


	3. An Unexpected Journey

**A/N: What's up party people? Yes, friends, it is I. The Procrastinator Extreme!**

**Somehow, I managed to write two chapters in one week!**

**It totally wasn't because I didn't have cheer for a few days….**

**Thanks to the lovely Luh13 for betaing!**

"This is pretty nice, Mick." Rose commented as they walked in. "You don't have to do this, you know, right? I mean, just 'cause I'm upset don't mean you have to spend your life's savings here. I'd be fine going to a chippy."

Mickey started sweating. He didn't want to be too suspicious, but he did want to impress Rose a bit with the money he had just been given. "It's alright, Rose. I got a nice bonus from the shop." She gave him a look, as if she didn't quite believe him, but sat down anyways. As Rose looked at the menu, commenting on the price, Mickey heard a faint buzzing in his ear. His eyes widened, and he looked around for the men, but remembered that he didn't know what they looked like without the masks.

After they had ordered, the com in his ear started relaying orders. "Ask her what happened with the Doctor." Taking a deep breath, Mickey did as he was told.

Rose didn't notice anything at first. But as the questions kept coming, she felt something was up. _First he doesn't even want to acknowledge the Doctor, now he wants to know all about him? Men._

But as the questions kept coming, progressively getting weirder and more aggressive, Rose was feeling a bit scared. Mickey was acting really strange, and after the events of the past few days she wasn't even sure she could trust him.

"Look, can we talk about something else now? I'm really getting tired of talking about the Doctor."

"Um, I don't know, this whole Doctor thing is rather odd, right?"

Unknown to Rose, the Nestene wasn't finished yet. "Take her out of there. Bring her to the car out front. Now." Mickey shook his head 'no'.

"What're you doing now?" Rose asked. _Why the hell is he shaking? Did he eat something funny or something? That would explain why he's being so weird._

"Bring her outside, or else you're dead." Slowly, Mickey stood up.

"Come on, Rose. Let's leave now and grab some chips." Rose crossed her arms and remained in her seat.

"What, now? I said we could've done that ages ago! We've already ordered!"

Mickey ground his teeth. Why did she always have to be so stubborn? "Rose. Let's go, now." But Rose didn't move.

"No." He was threatened again by the Nestenes.

"Rose, now!" And with that Mickey grabbed her arm to take her out of the restaurant.

Rose wrenched her arm back. "What the hell is wrong with you?" _What is happening lately? Everything has just gone out of control._

She didn't get an answer, because Mickey couldn't talk. He was too busy being punched in the face by an angry man with a bowtie.

* * *

From the moment he had encountered Rose Tyler, he felt drawn to her. He just couldn't stay away, no matter what his brain was telling him.

So as soon as he had left, the Doctor went back. Sort of.

You see, the Doctor did what he did best: avoiding. He stayed far enough away that he could work on the Nestene case and not have Rose see him, but close enough so that he could watch her.

_Not creepily, of course. Well, I suppose it is a bit. Just a bit, though._

But he just wanted to keep her safe! That was the only reason he was watching her, he felt like she was in danger, right? That girl was too jeopardy-friendly. Someone had to make sure she was safe. And who better to do it than him? As soon as this Nestene case was wrapped up, he would leave her alone. Let her be, let her forget about him. Once he knew that she was out of danger, of course.

_You just can't stay away from her, can you? Why do you keep doing this? It's not going to end well._

_Oh, shut up you._

_Well, I've got my answer: you've gone mad. You're arguing with yourself._

The Doctor ran his hands through his hair in frustration. So, maybe he was a bit mad. Oh well, where's the fun in life without a bit of crazy?

Anyways, he had gone back home for a nap (a week really was too long to go without sleep), but by the time he woke up it was the day after. The Doctor shot up, got dressed, and set about finding Rose Tyler.

It was a good thing he did. Because as soon as he entered the restaurant, he witnessed the man kissing Rose in the photograph grabbing an angry-looking Rose's wrist.

So, he did the only thing he could think of:

He punched Mickey Smith.

* * *

Rose's jaw dropped. "Doctor, what're you doing here? And what's going on?" The man grabbed her hand.

"No time to explain, just run!"

And so, much like the night they met, the pair ran and ran. They passed streets, knocked into innocent pedestrians, and annoyed drivers. Once the Doctor had deemed them safe, they finally stopped at a random street near the Thames.

"What happened back there?" Rose managed to ask between gasps. The Doctor put his hands on her shoulders, and Rose tried to ignore the tingles that ran up her body.

"I am so, so sorry Rose."

"Sorry? What's going on?"

"I didn't mean to get you involved in this, I really didn't and I am so, so sorry."

"Involved in what? What's going on, Doctor?"

"Rose, you understand what I do, right?"

"You…you're a spy." He nodded solemnly.

"You didn't hear that from me. But because of what I do, I accidentally dragged you into this, and for that I am so very sorry. But now you're in danger, and unless I can shut down the Nestene there's no way you're safe."

Rose nodded. _I wanted adventure, and I guess I got it. If this is my only chance, I'm going to make the most of it_. "Alright, then. So how do we stop them?

"Well I-wait, we? No no no! Rose Tyler, I am taking you back home to your mum, and you aren't getting involved anymore in this."

"Well, if you take me home I'm just going to come after you. And if I'm alone, who knows what I could get up to?" She didn't mean for that last statement to come out so flirty, but luckily the Doctor didn't notice. Or if he did, he didn't seem to mind. She hoped it was the latter.

Much to her surprise, he relented. "Fine. But you do exactly as I say, got it?"

"Oh, thank you! This has got to be the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me! I promise, we're going to get these guys, just like in the movies." Rose jumped up and wrapped her arms around him, and he returned the embrace.

* * *

Well, this was strange.

It was new and desired and uncalled for and so desperately wanted, all at the same time. The Doctor had never quite felt anything like this before.

Hugging Rose Tyler, being around her, made him feel something inside, but he wasn't quite sure what it was, yet.

And he definitely didn't want it to stop.

However, there were greater tasks at hand. Mainly, shutting down the Nestene so that they wouldn't die. _If only I could figure out where the base is._

He voiced this concern to Rose.

"Well, what d'you know about it?"

"Not much," he admitted, somewhat ashamed. This mission had completely thrown him off. _I'm supposed to be the best! I'm supposed to be the smartest around, to always know the answers. This girl, she's messing with my head. In the best way possible. Rose Tyler, what are you doing to me?_

"How much is not much?"

"Well, all I know is that it's underneath something circular, something big. Heard one of the henchmen talking about it a while back. He was laughing, saying no one would ever thing to look there. Strange, isn't it?"

Rose stared at him, and then started cracking up.

_Dear Rassilon, is she laughing at me?_

"What? What's so funny?" Rose pointed behind him. The Doctor spun around, only to be confused. _There's nothing there! _"Rose, what is it?" She just kept laughing and pointed behind him again. The Doctor turned around again, to be met by nothing of interest once more. "I don't get it! Is this some sort of joke?"

Rose managed to compose herself. "Doctor, it's the London eye!"

Oh.

_Oh. Well. That was rather dumb._

"We best get going, then!" He grabbed Rose's hand, and looked her in the eyes. "Geronimo!"

* * *

Somehow, they managed to sneak in without getting caught. Rose thought this was rather exciting. The adrenaline rushed through her, and she was certain there was nothing more thrilling than this. The Doctor, however, was getting his thrills just from holding her hand.

It was exhilarating. Sneaking around, the Doctor using that strange stick (He had called it a sonic screwdriver, whatever that meant. Apparently that wasn't innuendo.) to knock out guards whenever they came across them. Rose thanked the stars for letting this man come into her life.

But when they reached the final room, the Doctor told her to stay there.

"What d'you mean? I came all this way with you, didn't I?"

The Doctor groaned. Why was she so stubborn? "This is different, we don't know what's in there!"

"But I could help!"

"Rose, I told you that you had to do whatever I said. So trust me, and do this. Okay?"

"Fine. But if you're not back in twenty minutes, I'm coming in."

"Sure, sure, but it's not going to take that long." He readjusted his bowtie and gave her a cocky grin. "I'm the Doctor."

For security, he gave her the screwdriver. Not that she would know what to do with it. But, it was comforting all the same. Rose played with the settings while waiting for the Doctor for return.

Twenty minutes passed, and the Doctor still was not back. Rose gave him another five, because he seemed like the type of man who'd lose track of time. But when that ended, she knew she was going to have to play hero.

Suddenly, she was beginning to regret wishing for an adventure. This was real life, not a movie.

Rose snuck in to what looked like a warehouse. It was hot, dark, and full of chains and crates. While looking out for guards she tripped on a large lump on the floor.

Oddly, the lump groaned.

"Mickey!" she whispered. "I thought you were dead!"

He clutched his head. "Yeah, well, near enough. They used me, to use you, to get to the Doctor. I think they were still hoping to use me after that friend of yours crashed the restaurant. They said he wouldn't leave someone to die, and they would kill you if I didn't cooperate. Isn't this whole thing freaky?"

"Yeah, a bit. Now come on, we've got to think of a plan."

"Plan? Are you joking? We've got to get out of here!"

_Coward._

"Mickey, we've got to save the Doctor, and then we can get out of here. Now, where is he?"

"Right down there." He replied, with a jerk of the head. Rose looked down through a gap in some crates to see the Doctor. He was standing on a platform next to a pit of fire, and looked like he was trying to talk his way out of the situation. Facing him was what she guessed to be the leader of the Nestene.

_What can I do?_

Looking around her, Rose had an idea.

"I've got a plan, Mickey, but you might want to get out of here first."

He didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

The Doctor always seemed to find himself in sticky situations. Usually he could get out just fine, but since his family's death he had been losing his touch. He was growing colder, and this life wasn't so easy for him anymore.

Maybe he did need someone, after all.

But that wasn't the issue right now. How on Earth was he going to get out of this?

A clanging noise brought him out of his thoughts, and he found his question answered. For once, he was the one being saved. One pink and yellow Rose Tyler was swinging from the ceiling on one of the chains.

"Rose Tyler! You are fantastic!" The swinging woman seemed to shock the Consciousness, who froze on the spot. This made it very easy for Rose to use her swing to kick him into the fire pit, allowing the Doctor to get out.

This time, it was Rose grabbing the Doctor's hand. "Run?" she asked with a grin.

And so, what was quickly becoming a habit for them continued. They made it out of the base, meeting with Mickey outside. He signaled M16 to let them know what was going on.

They told him to bring in Rose Tyler, or they would do it by force.

"Rose Tyler, come with me? I've got something I want to show you!"

Mickey, the Idiot proceeded to hug Rose's leg, and the Doctor felt something inside him twist at the sight. "Rose, don't go with him! He's dangerous, look what he got you into! Go with him and you might never come back. Think of me! Think of Jackie!"

She grimaced, and his heart dropped.

_Curious. Why was that?_

"I'm sorry, Doctor. It's been great, it really had. And I know I'll never forget this. But I can't, there's too many people counting on me here."

* * *

_Oh, god._

_This was so much fun! It really, really, was. Dangerous, completely out of control, but it was great all the same._

But Mickey's words struck a chord in her. She was needed here. The adventure was great, but all good things must come to an end. What would her mum be without her? And Mickey had always been there for her after Jimmy.

The Doctor nodded. "I understand. Goodbye, Rose Tyler." He kissed her hand and walked away, talking to a strange device.

But then he turned around, running towards her. "Did I mention I'm taking you to M16?"

Well, then. Maybe it was time she tried to make something out of her life.

Rose turned around to Mickey, and kissed his cheek. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"Exactly." And with that, Rose Tyler ran towards the Doctor.

* * *

He had felt a horrible, nasty feeling when Rose Tyler said no. It didn't even have anything to do with M16 calling her in. No, he felt…rejected. And it felt absolutely awful.

But he told them she had declined, and they threatened. So, he tried again.

And it was the most wonderful feeling when she said yes.

Even though he was taking her to a place she probably wouldn't enjoy, being with Rose made him happy, somehow. "Come on, I've got Sexy parked somewhere around here."

Rose stopped. _Ah, I probably should've explained that. _"Excuse me?"

"Sexy is my car! Well I say car, but she's so much better than that." He led her by the hand to a blue Ferrari a few blocks away.

"Oh my god, she's gorgeous!" Rose exclaimed whilst running her fingers along the side. The Doctor puffed out his chest, not entirely understanding why.

"I'm glad you like her. Now relax and enjoy the ride," he said in an American accent, which he accompanied by wiggling his eyebrows. Rose giggled, which made him smile.

They arrived twenty minutes later. Rose clutched the Doctor's hand as they got out. "Am I going to be okay? They're not going to… kill me, or anything?"

He simply chuckled. "Nah, they're going to do much worse than that! They'll chop you up and feed you to the dogs." She nudged him with her shoulder.

"I'm serious, Doctor."

In an attempt to comfort her (_that's what I'll tell her, no need to say I just wanted to be closer_) he wrapped his arm around her. "Rose, you'll be fine. I promise. They probably just want to do some questioning, make sure everything is alright."

* * *

The next few hours were a blur for Rose. They were full of questions and scary people in suits, and she found herself calling for the Doctor on more than one occasion. Five and a half hours later, he finally came back.

But he didn't look too happy.

"I'm sorry about this, Rose." She panicked.

"Why? What's going on?"

"Rose, you could still be in danger. And until we know that you're safe, you're going to have to come away."

"Come away? Where?"

"Well, you're going to have to leave the country. It's just for a few weeks, I promise! But we need time for the Torchwood team to tie up all the loose ends."

"Where am I going to go? And what's Torchwood?"

"Torchwood's a special group. Basically, they clean everything up. After missions, they go in, make sure the public is unaware, check that no one got away. Erase memories if they have to."

"Oh god, is that what they're going to do to me?"

_I might never remember this. Or him. What if I don't make it out of here? I might never see my mum again!_

"Breathe, Rose, breathe!" She looked up into the Doctor's eyes again. "That's not going to happen. Unfortunately, you've seen too much to erase what they'd need. Besides, you aren't really a threat."

"Well that's…good. A relief, for sure. But where am I going to go?"

"Rose Tyler, we're going to go anywhere you'd like." _We._

She relaxed; at least she would be with him.

"Alright then, I guess."

The Doctor stood up, and once more, took her hand. "Allons-y!"

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading!**

**And if you liked the story (or if you didn't, I'm not fussy) please review! I can't tell you how much it means when someone does.**

**Until next time!**


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